Sametime

The millions of people who are using Apple's iPad and Android tablets will now be able to take advantage of enterprise-class software and services from IBM. The business card feature shown here allows IBM Sametime users to launch an announcement or chat to an individual or group using an iPad.

IBM is rolling out eight new social-networking and collaboration mobile apps specifically designed to address enterprise-class requirements on Apple's iPad and Android-based tablets. The new software, available for download now from most of the popular app stores, takes IBM's industry-leading social-networking, real-time collaboration and online-meeting capabilities from behind the company firewall and places it into the hands of tablet users. The new offerings span a wide range of tablets, including the iPad. The software allows employees to more effectively collaborate and share data and images, and conduct meetings on the fly more securely as part of their everyday work experience, IBM said. Big Blue's new apps offer social-networking capabilities for the iPad, online meetings, instant messaging, accessing business documents, and easier access to mail and calendar. IBM also released new software for building apps faster and better, and for improving the Web experience for users.

Darryl K. Taft covers the development tools and developer-related issues beat from his office in Baltimore. He has more than 10 years of experience in the business and is always looking for the next scoop. Taft is a member of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and was named 'one of the most active middleware reporters in the world' by The Middleware Co. He also has his own card in the 'Who's Who in Enterprise Java' deck.